


sandcastles and sleepovers

by nanases_h



Category: Free!
Genre: Bullying, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Injuries, Muteness, Sleepovers, haru is selectively mute and makoto is the only kid he talks to, lots of crying and comforting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 09:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanases_h/pseuds/nanases_h
Summary: Five-year-old Haruka and Makoto get into trouble with the bigger kids at the playground. Makoto is hurt, and Haruka kisses his scratch to make it all better.





	sandcastles and sleepovers

Makoto sensed trouble coming when the big kids walked towards him and Haruka.

His parents were out of town this weekend, so he was staying at the Nanases’ next door. This afternoon, Mrs. Nanase took him and Haruka to the playground where they met her friend who had a big German Shepherd named Michi. Big dogs frightened Makoto, especially when they barked, but Michi was very sweet and friendly so they let her stay with them by the sandbox.

He and Haruka were building a sandcastle, one with tall towers and lots of arched doors. Haruka could make beautiful sandcastles and he always made them how Makoto wanted them to look like.   

They were patting the body into shape when two older kids, tall as first graders, approached.  

“Oh look, they have a shovel!” One of them said and took it from where it lay beside Haruka.

“Shouldn’t we ask first?” asked the other one.

Confusion was written in Haruka’s face, but he didn’t utter a word.

Makoto sat there frozen. Normally, he would speak for his best friend but he could only watch in stunned silence as the kids walked away with Haruka’s shovel.

“It’s okay. He’s from my swim club.” The one who took the shovel shrugged. “He doesn’t talk.”

“Oh.” The other one followed after he grabbed their pail.

Makoto’s heart sank. He fidgeted with his hands as he looked around helplessly. Mrs. Nanase and her friend were getting ice cream for them at the stand, surrounded by a crowd of parents and screaming children. Michi was sleeping by the pole where she was tied.

“Haru-chan…”

Haruka crouched over their sandcastle, patting it like nothing happened. His dark hair covered his face so Makoto couldn’t read his expression.

Haruka never talked to anyone other than his parents and Makoto, so Makoto talked for him, but he failed today because he got scared.  

He inhaled a lungful of air and took Haruka’s hand. His friend gave him a surprised look. “C’mon. Let’s take back your toys.”

They marched to the other side of the sandbox where the older kids were making a bigger sandcastle.

“Uh, h-hello,” said Makoto, gripping Haruka’s hand tighter. The kids stopped talking and laughing and turned their heads to them. “Can we p-please have the shovel and pail b-back?”

The boy who took the shovel smirked. “Say ‘please’ first.”

Makoto looked at him in confusion. “I already did—"

“Not you,” said the boy, and pointed to Haruka. “Him.”

Makoto felt everyone’s eyes focus on them.

Haruka knit his eyebrows together, his blue eyes fierce, but he kept his lips pursed into a firm line.

“You can’t?” The boy told everyone. “Too bad.”

All the older kids laughed, and Makoto swore it could be heard echoing across the playground.   

He clenched his fists and yelled, “Hey, that’s not nice! You should say sorry!”

But all the older kid did was shove him aside, which made him lose his balance.

“Ow!” Makoto cried as his elbow touched the rough concrete pavement outside the sandbox.

The older kids laughed harder.

Haruka let out a low gasp. The next moments happened too fast; Makoto could barely follow what was going on. His best friend marched to their corner and returned with Michi, who was barking angrily at the older kids. He was holding on to Michi’s chain with all his strength— the German Shepherd was a terrifying beast trying to break free.

Haruka flashed his stormy eyes and ordered, “Run.”

Without another word, the older kids scampered away, abandoning Haruka’s shovel and pail in the sand.

“Haruka! Makoto!”

Mrs. Nanase and her friend hurried towards them, coned ice cream in hand. Mrs. Nanase’s friend took Michi from Haruka and calmed her pet.

Haruka rushed to Makoto and offered his hand to help him up.

“Are you okay?” asked Haruka.

Makoto’s elbow hurt so much. He was only starting to notice after the kids had gone. It hurt so much he wanted to cry, but he stopped himself. Haruka never cried when he got hurt. At school, he tripped on the staircase and fell, but he didn’t cry. Last week, he fell from his bicycle and he skinned his knee and his arm, but he didn’t cry. How could he do that? _His elbow hurt so much._

Makoto wailed because he couldn’t take it anymore. He cried as loud as he could, his eyes blurring with tears that flowed down his face like waterfalls.

“Mako-chan…”

“You’re okay, sweetheart,” said Mrs. Nanase, pulling him into a hug. She murmured words of comfort into his ear until his cries toned down and stopped.

They said goodbye to Mrs. Nanase’s friend and Michi, and walked home.  

Haruka was quiet on their way home. While it was normal for him not to say a word for a long time, Makoto could tell this silence was different. When Mrs. Nanase asked what he wanted for dinner, he refused to answer and turned his head to the side. He was stiff and he wouldn’t look at Makoto. The last time Haruka was this silent, he dropped his stuffed dolphin in the sea when their families went on a boat ride a couple of weeks ago.

After they reached the Nanases’ house, Haruka’s mother cleaned and put antiseptic on Makoto’s scratch. He cried again because it stung, and before he knew it, Mrs. Nanase and Haruka were kissing his band-aided elbow to make it all better.

He and Haruka sat on the living room while Mrs. Nanase did some chores. She gave them crayons and colouring books and turned on the TV. If there was somewhere Haruka showed his active and talkative self, it was at home. He would loudly ask for his toys or do a silly dance and make his mother laugh. Mrs. Nanase told Makoto that Haruka was more playful whenever he was around.

But today, he couldn’t be bothered to do anything other than crossing his arms on top of the tatami table and resting his cheek on them.

Mrs. Nanase knelt beside him. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Haruka simply shook his head and stared at the TV screen blankly. The silence was filled with Doraemon’s singing.

Mrs. Nanase ruffled his hair, waiting for an answer.

Haruka blinked at the screen and heaved a sigh. Finally, he said with a very small voice, “Mako-chan got hurt because I didn’t speak.”

His face crumpled into a pout. He looked down, curling his fists into tight little balls. “I promised Mama and Papa I’ll start speaking…” His lips wobbled. “I-I-I t-tried but I c-couldn’t. I’m— s-so s-sorry…”

He covered his face with his hands as though he was hiding from the world. His shoulders shook and all at once, he cried. It wasn’t loud and disruptive like Makoto’s had been. It came out as soft snuffling like he was afraid of being heard, his breathing short and shallow.

“Haru-chan…”

Seeing Haruka cry made Makoto’s chest feel tight. It was hard to breathe. He touched Haruka’s arm, his desperate attempt to provide comfort, but it was no good as tears rolled down his cheeks again.

“It’s okay, baby,” said Mrs. Nanase, gently stroking his shoulders and looking at him in the eyes. “It’s not your fault. Mama knows you’re trying very hard.”

Haruka was convinced people get annoyed when he didn’t talk. He seemed to think their teacher hated him for not speaking in class, and their classmates disliked him because he wouldn't answer their questions, and it upset him so much. Makoto would hug him and tell him _it’s okay, it’s okay, Haru-chan._

Mrs. Nanase wrapped her arms around the two of them and pressed kisses on their foreheads. Makoto had stopped crying, but Haruka was still upset, his eyes red and puffy.

His mother scooped him into her arms. Rubbing circles on his back, she told him how brave he was for facing those bigger kids. She hummed a soft melody while he rested his cheek on her shoulder, and after a while, he calmed down.  

That night, Mrs. Nanase let them play video games in the living room. Everything that happened made Makoto miss his own mother so he asked Mrs. Nanase to call her. He told her they went to the playground and made a dog friend named Michi. She told him that she and his father would be home by lunch time the next day, and he should keep behaving like a good boy because they had a gift for him.

He knew Haruka was feeling better when he asked his mother if they could have mackerel and cookies for dinner, making Makoto and Mrs. Nanase laugh.

“Does it still hurt?” Haruka asked when he and Makoto were lying on their futons in Haruka’s room. Mrs. Nanase had tucked them in and kissed them good night.  

Makoto frowned. “A little bit.”

Haruka peeled off his blanket, bent over, and pressed his lips on the band-aid, once, and twice. He gently tapped it with his palm. “There.”

Makoto’s cheeks blushed. “Thank you, Haru-chan.”  

He stared the ceiling that was aglow with moon and stars stickers. “You don’t have to force yourself to talk. I can talk for the both of us.”

Haruka turned his head to him and, for a moment, Makoto feared he might cry again. “Thank you, Mako-chan.” His lips curled into his rare, faint smile. “You’re my best friend.”

Makoto flashed his bright smile as warmth spread from his chest to his fingertips. “You’re my best friend too.”

Silence fell as sleep washed over them like a tide.

Makoto yawned, reaching for his best friend. “Good night, Haru-chan.”

“Good night.”

**Author's Note:**

> why do i end up writing angst when i want fluff?? siri how do i reprogram myself??
> 
> i know we don’t see mrs. nanase a lot, but i’d like to think she’s just as nice as mrs. tachibana and loves the boys just as much


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